Manufacturing Engineering

Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Technology

The baccalaureate programs in industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The baccalaureate program in manufacturing engineering technology is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012. Telephone: (410) 347-7700.

The department offers master’s degrees in industrial engineering (M.S.I.E.) and manufacturing engineering (M.S.MF.E.) . See the Graduate Catalog for information about these programs.

Programmatic Distinctions

In choosing a career option, the student should be aware of the respective functions of the engineer and engineering technologist. Generally speaking, the engineer conceives, designs, and advances the development of products and systems. On the other hand, the engineering technologist implements, maintains, and tests products and systems. The engineer creates new technologies while the engineering technologist applies existing technologies.

The distinction between industrial engineering and manufacturing engineering is one of breadth vs. depth. Industrial engineers are involved with the design, improvement, and management of technical systems. These systems may be located in service industries such as banks, hospitals, and government as well as in manufacturing industries. Manufacturing engineers are involved in the design, installation, and improvement of the production process and generally are limited to manufacturing industries.

The engineering student’s selection of humanities and social science courses provide a broad education consistent with the objectives of the engineering profession. Courses should be selected to provide both breadth and depth and not be limited to unrelated introductory courses. This objective can be met by taking two courses in the same department with at least one being at the 300 level or above. Students minoring in business are permitted to use ECO 100/221 and ECO 222 to meet this requirement.

The department works closely with industry and has an outstanding industrial & manufacturing engineering & technology department Advisory Council consisting of distinguished members from industry, government, and education.

Student Organizations

Student chapters of the American Society for Materials (ASM), American Society for Quality (ASQ), Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), American Foundrymen’s Society (AFS), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) are sponsored by the department to support and encourage the professional development of the students. The department is also a strong supporter of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Honor societies for industrial engineering students (Alpha Pi Mu) and for manufacturing students (Beta Tau Epsilon) are also represented.

Manufacturing Engineering Major (BSMfE)

Objectives

The objective of the program is to provide education to equip our graduates with a strong technical and scientific foundation that treats manufacturing as a system and integrates the areas of manufacturing processes, engineering materials, product design, automation, and manufacturing management. The graduates will have the necessary tools to pursue careers in settings that include automotive, aerospace, and heavy and light equipment manufacturers and to seek advanced degrees in related fields.

Outcomes

Manufacturing Engineering graduates will have:

an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics and science to manufacturing processes, materials, project management, and design of manufacturing systems, emphasizing discrete piece part manufacture;

an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data related to manufacturing processes, materials evaluation, and manufacturing systems;

an ability to design, select, and control a manufacturing system and its components or processes to meet desired needs;

an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams, an understanding of the concurrent approach to process and product development, and the ability to perform manufacturing project management;

an ability to identify, formulate, and solve manufacturing engineering problems considering constraints, costs, benefits, and competitiveness of comparative processes and materials, through a hands-on approach;

an understanding of the professional and ethical responsibilities of a manufacturing engineer;

an ability to utilize modern tools and techniques to effectively communicate technical requirements and functionality in oral, written, and graphical forms;

the broad education necessary to understand the impact of manufacturing engineering solutions in a global and societal context;

a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, lifelong learning;

a knowledge of contemporary issues facing engineers;

an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for manufacturing engineering practice utilizing supporting technologies including design for assembly, design for manufacturability, computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing, and rapid prototyping.

Manufacturing engineering is one of the newest and most dynamic fields of the engineering professions. It involves the development and coordination of the entire manufacturing process from product design through after-sale service.

Advanced manufacturing systems are dramatically transforming the world for the better. The manufacturing engineer is a key architect, evolver, and implementer of that change.

Manufacturing engineers apply their knowledge of the sciences of materials, processes, and information to the design, integration, and advancement of products and systems of manufacture. They understand value-added concepts through effective transformation of materials into products.

The manufacturing engineer is responsible for research, development, design, planning, implementation, and operation of manufacturing systems. Throughout his/her professional career the manufacturing engineer is expected to progress from a technical strategist to operations integrator to manufacturing strategist. The manufacturing engineer works as a member of a team. His/her role encompasses not only technological factors but also human, economic, and environmental factors.

The manufacturing engineering program is designed to provide the student with a broad intellectual horizon together with a firm technical foundation necessary to meet future challenges in manufacturing engineering. The curriculum builds on a solid foundation of science and mathematics and combines a broad base of engineering sciences and their application to analysis, synthesis, and creative design.

The program provides studies of design, materials, processes, automation, and system integration with a focus on problem solving. It emphasizes concepts of design for manufacture, computer integration, and quality improvement.

Laboratory experience is an essential component of the manufacturing engineering program. Five laboratories are well equipped to serve the program in computer aided graphics and design, computer integrated manufacturing and robotics, materials science and engineering, materials removal and fabrication, and computer aided manufacturing.

Graduates from the program have a wide range of career options in industry, government, research, service, and entrepreneurship. Graduates may also choose to advance their education through post-graduate studies.

Credit in the following courses must be obtained to meet degree requirements in manufacturing engineering. A minimum grade point average of 2.25 in IMET department courses must be achieved for graduation.

To meet the ABET requirements for humanities and social sciences, some general education courses must be selected according to an approved list. They may be taken in any sequence and not necessarily in the semester indicated. Other University general education requirements are satisfied by specific courses required below.

Approved Electives–MFE

Six hours of technical electives should be taken during the last three semesters of the program and should be selected to emphasize an academic focus of interest. Three hours must be in engineering design. Electives must be approved by the students’ academic advisor.

Other Courses

Any advisor-approved mathematics or science course not required in the program.

BSMFE Combined with MBA Program

Undergraduate students in the manufacturing engineering program may combine their studies and earn an MBA degree in five and one-half years or fewer. Students may include most or all of the prerequisites for the MBA program as part of their required 127 undergraduate semester hours. Careful scheduling is required and should be coordinated with the student’s undergraduate advisor and director of graduate programs.